OF Bell welcomes Mark Brown as Mike Warren retires

After a 40-year career with OF Bell, Toolroom Manager Mike Warren has recently retired from the business. 

Mike joined OF Bell as a time-served toolmaker in the 1980s, and has seen the company evolve significantly in that time to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers, including two factory moves, a change of ownership, and the changing technologies that have helped our toolroom to navigate the highs and lows of manufacturing in the UK over that time. 

Customers have relied on Mike's skills time and time again to create precision tools that support the confidential, scalable and onshore manufacture of their complex miniature components, helping organisations to achieve significant cost savings and manufacturing efficiency.

Everyone at OF Bell wishes Mike well, and we congratulate him on his well-earned retirement!

Welcoming Mark Brown to OF Bell 

We're delighted to welcome Mark Brown to the business as our new Toolroom Manager. 

Mark is a time-served toolmaker and manager, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience gained in the industry over 35 years to our in-house toolroom in order to drive forward continued modernisation, the development of our services, and the mentoring of our younger team members.

As Mark takes over, and looking ahead, OF Bell's toolroom will: 

• continue to undertake tooling design and manufacture in-house for our customers' projects;
• support the wider business with additional processes such as CNC machining and wire erosion; and
• continue to expand our range of services over the coming years.

Backed by his exceptional knowledge and experience, Mark's appointment signifies OF Bell's commitment to maintaining an in-house toolroom staffed by highly-skilled toolmakers, as well as the development of talented future toolmakers. 

Mark comments on his appointment: 

“It’s great to join a small team who are keen to modernise and grow. I am looking forward to driving the modernisation of the toolroom and adding to the services that we can offer here!"

OF Bell's Managing Director Mark Beard comments: 

“We have always maintained an in-house toolroom and feel it sets us apart from most of our competitors. Mike’s retirement had been planned for some time and has enabled us the time to find the right person who compliments our small team in the North East. We are absolutely thrilled to have found Mark Brown. He has such an abundance of skills and experience, meaning he can take on our current processes with ease, but also modernise and expand our offering. He is also keen to mentor the next generation of toolmakers, a skill we see as essential to the future of our business.”

About OF Bell: Complex component engineering in the North East since 1973

Since 1973, OF Bell has worked alongside clients in countless sectors, from oil, gas and utilities to medical, construction, consumer goods and household products, as a trusted manufacturing partner based wholly in the UK to deliver fully-assembled, tested and quality-assured complex electronic components, assemblies and moulded plastics that form a vital part of supply chains across the UK and worldwide.

ISO-certified, Bishop Auckland-based in Co. Durham, and with over 50 years' experience, from confidential in-house product design and development to injection moulding, assembly and testing of precision electronic, electrical and plastic parts, miniature and complex components by OF Bell enable client businesses to achieve their full potential through reliable, confidential and complete complex component engineering.